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Passiflora ligularis (Granadilla) - A vigorous vine that is woody at the base and climbs onto structures or high into trees using tendrils with heart-shaped 4- to 8-inch-long leaves that are of a medium green color and paler below with prominent veins. In the warmer months of the year appear the 4 inch wide sweetly fragrant flowers, often in pairs at the leaf base. These flowers have greenish white sepals and light pinkish-white petals with 2 ranks of filaments that are banded with bluish purple. These are followed by 2 to 3 inch long rounded yellow-orange fruit with light purple markings with a hard outer shell surrounding the gelatinous clear pulp that contains the seeds.
Full sun with regular watering. Hardy to at least 25 F. A nice fruiting variety with edible sweet pulp that contains vitamins A, C, and K, phosphorus, iron, and calcium.
Passiflora ligularis is native to northern Argentina through the Andes Mountains between Bolivia and Venezuela and as far north as Mexico. It is cultivated worldwide in mild moist tropical mountainous regions. The name Passiflora comes from the Latin words 'passus' meaning "suffering and 'flos' meaning "a flower" from the Flower of the Passion after Spanish priests in Mexico found that features in the flowers seemed to represent events of the crucifixion of Christ. The three stigmas representing the three nails in Jesus's hands and feet, the many radial filaments represented the Crown of Thorns upon his head, the tendrils represented the whips used to flagellate him, the five anthers represented his five wounds, the ten petals and sepals representing the Apostles (excluding Judas and Peter) and the blue and white color representing Heaven and Purity. The specific epithet "ligularis" is in reference to the flower's ligulate meaning strapped shaped corolla filaments. Other common names include Sweet granadilla, Grenadia, Water Lemon, Granada China and Sugar Fruit.
This plant is not generally recommended for cultivation in California but we have been tending for several years a large vine in our nursery that bears good fruit. It was growing through a large Datura though now is in full sun.
This information about Passiflora ligularis displayed is based on research conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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